31% of consumers use social media to vent about poor customer service

A third of consumers will use social media channels including Twitter and Facebook to complain about poor customer service, suggests a survey from NewVoiceMedia.

The survey of 2,034 UK adults found that 31 per cent will post online following inadequate customer service, with women being twice as likely than men to take out their frustration online.

Of the 16-24 age group,the most prolific social media users, the figure stood higher at around 40 per cent.

Seven per cent of respondents said they consider posting on Facebook to be the most effective way to resolve a problem, with one respondent to the survey saying: “The scale of people seeing the complaint usually makes the company take notice to limit any knock-on effect to other customers who may also perceive the issue as unacceptable.”

According to NewVoiceMedia, another participant simply said: “Bad publicity hurts”.

Jonathan Gale at NewVoiceMedia, who commissioned the research, commented: “Not long ago, customers would tell friends and family if they experienced poor customer service. While this is damaging to a brand, it’s not nearly as powerful and immediate as customers who take their complaints online. Within hours, a business can suffer irreversible damage to its reputation, resulting in lost revenue and growth opportunities.”

“Customers want personal and engaging experiences every time, through every channel,” he added. “Customer experience is a key differentiator and by doing it well, organisations can drive the customer acquisition, retention and efficiency that make leading companies successful.”

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